Introduction to Sociology: Socialization

These vocabulary flashcards cover the key concepts, theories, and life course stages discussed in Dr. Darks' Introduction to Sociology lecture on Socialization.

Feral children

Children who have been discovered by authorities having been raised without human contact, such as Genie Wiley.

Isolated children

Children raised with little to no human interaction, highlighting that language is a key to culture and culture makes us human.

Institutionalized children

Children raised in orphanages or similar facilities who often lack the socialization required to develop normal human traits.

Looking-Glass Self

Charles Horton Cooley's concept that we develop a self-concept through a three-step process: imagining our appearance to others, interpreting their reactions, and developing feelings about ourselves.

Role Taking

George Herbert Mead's theory that individuals learn to become members of society by internalizing the expectations of others, starting with significant others and progressing to the generalized other.

Significant Others

Specific individuals, such as parents or siblings, whose roles children first learn to take during socialization.

Generalized Other

The norms, values, attitudes, and expectations of people in general; Mead used the example of team sports like baseball to illustrate this concept.

Mead's Stage 1: Imitation

The stage for children under age $3$ who have no sense of self and can only mimic the gestures and words of others.

Mead's Stage 2: Play

The stage for children ages $3$ to $6$ where they pretend to take the roles of specific people, such as Spider-Man or a princess.

Mead's Stage 3: Team Games

The stage occurring after age $6$ or $7$ where children learn to take multiple roles in organized play.

Global Emotions

The six universal emotions identified by researchers: anger, distrust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise.

Gender Map

The paths in life set out for us because we are male or female, taught through messages from family, peers, and mass media.

Gender

The attitudes and behaviors expected of us because we are male or female.

Sworn Virgin

A cultural phenomenon in some societies, such as Shkurtan Hasanpapaj in Albania, where a female takes on a male role.

Social Institutions

The organized and established systems within society—such as family, religion, and government—that provide stability, order, and a framework for interaction.

Primary Socialization

Socialization that occurs within the family to teach children basic norms and values.

Secondary Socialization

Socialization that prepares young people for work and citizenship, often through education.

Hidden Curriculum

The unwritten goals of schools, such as teaching discipline, punctuality, and teamwork.

Corridor Curriculum

The informal socialization that occurs among students in school hallways, which can provide a source of resistance to parental and school socialization.

Anticipatory Socialization

The process of learning in advance a role or status one anticipates having in the future, described as a "mental rehearsal" for a career.

Total Institutions

Places such as the military or mental institutions where people are cut off from the rest of society and are under the total control of officials.

Degradation Ceremony

A term coined by Harold Garfinkel to describe rituals used in total institutions to strip away an individual's current identity and stamp a new one in its place.

Adolescence

A life course stage between ages $13$ and $17$ characterized as a social invention and often including initiation rites.

Transitional Adulthood

A life course stage between ages $18$ and $29$ where individuals may move back home to positively impact their finances or pay down debt.

The Middle Years

A life course stage between ages $30$ and $65$ divided into the Early Middle and Later Middle periods.

The Older Years

A life course stage starting at approximately age $63$ or $65$, encompassing the Transitional Older Years and Later Older Years.